Houston Cougars guard Dedan Thomas Jr.
Nov 2, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (9) drives against La Salle Explorers guard Trey Moss (8) and forward Vice Zanki (11) in the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston Cougars basketball is coming off an 86-68 win over California in the Caesar's Lake Tahoe Classic on Sunday night and improved to 2-0 in the early season. While it's still early November and just the first week of the season passed, Houston's new team with multiple key transfers is looking encouraging.

The Cougars were ranked No. 10 in the AP Preseason Poll that came out on Oct. 19, and the top 25 has now been updated after the first week of action.

Details on Houston's AP Poll Ranking

Houston Cougars bench reacts
Nov 2, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars bench reacts while playing against the La Salle Explorers in the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston jumped up two spots and is now No. 8 overall. The Cougars are right underneath Texas, who is at No. 7 and one spot higher than UCLA, which made a massive 13-spot jump to No. 9.

Tennessee moved a couple of spots down out of the top 10 to No. 11, and Big 12 conference rival Arizona made a seven-spot fall down from No. 5 to No. 12 after losing to UCLA on opening night at home.

In terms of the Big 12, Iowa State was initially No. 18 in the preseason, but completely fell out of the Week 1 poll after a shocking loss to Memphis at home in the first game of the season. Both Kansas and Texas Tech moved up a couple of spots each to No. 15 and No. 16, respectively.

It's too early to really make any conclusions from a Week 1 AP Poll, and large shifts will continue to occur given the lack of separation between any teams. Given the fact that Houston may not have a bunch of big names on the team this season that are household national names besides Joseph Tugler, it's likely that the Cougars will continue to be underrated.

The Player's Era Tournament will tell a lot about just how good Houston is. The Cougars finished last season at No. 7 overall with a 30-7 record. Houston was No. 5 before March Madness and then lost in the Sweet 16 to Illinois.

Houston saw the electric debut of fifth-year transfer guard Chendall Weaver after his temporary restraining order was granted by a Texas Court. Additionally, redshirt sophomore guard Chase McCarty returned from his knee injury successfully as he was in the starting lineup against California.

Houston has been ranked in each of the last 128 AP Polls, which is a school record and extends the longest streak in the country.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/houston as Houston Basketball Rises Higher in Top 10 of Week 1 AP Poll.

Source: Yahoo Sports